Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-30
turing young Graves in the matrimo-


else when Alma Marvin was by. They
sang duets together in the parlor. Miss
Marvin played and sang beautifully,
while Lucia could not sing a note, and
Mr.. Graves was very fond of music
there Lucia was at decided disadvan-
tage. Miss Marvin was woman of
cultivated mind and fine talker, and
there she had the advantage Of Lucia,
who read nothing but novels and could
never get out of the society ruts of con-
versation. And so Homer Graves
ignored Miss st. Johns as much as pos
sible without being rude, and kept at
Miss Marvin's side.
Mrs. st. Johns face was dark with
passion as she watched them walking
on the shore. Once in a while Miss
Marvin or Mr.. Graves, turned to speak
to Lucia, who kept close to them. But
it was evident to the woman watching
them that the walk would have been
much more enjoyable to them if Lucia
had been somewhere else.
ooh, 1 hate you'll" Missed Mrs. St.
Johns, with gesture of imp atient fury
toward the woman who stood between
her daughter and the man she had
hoped to win. II would like to stran.
gle her!"
Tho group on the beach turned in
the dusky twilight and came up the
path to the house. When they came
in sight around the clump of cedars at
the cliffs, Homer Graves had given an
arm to Lucia and was walking between
the two girls.
II know Lucia could marry him if
Miss Marvin were only out of the way, +"
Mrs. st. Johns said slowly, to herself;
II am quite positive of that; but while
she is in the way we can do nothing.
Must 1 sit idly and see my cherished
plans fail, all on account of that girls
pretty face and winning ways? Never |!
It's war between us! Lucia and will
win if we can-if We fight it out to the
death! She heard Lucia in her room,
and she got up and went in. Lucia
had thrown herself upon the sofa de-
spondently.
"What is the matter. Lucia?" asked
her mother, seating herself beside her
daughter.
"Matter enough" cried Lucia, fret
fully. Chat hateful Miss Marvin
how 1 do hate her. Why, she talks so
to Mr.. Graves about poets and history,
music, and all that, as if she were q
man, and knew as much about such
things as he does; but when she says
anything to me she talks as if 1 were q
child or fool, and couldn't under
stand what she meant if she talked to
me as she does to him; and-oh, dear,
dear; I love him better than any man I
ever knew before. Oh, dear, dear"
And here the young girl, who showed
how shallow and superficial she was
by the weak lines about her mouth, be.
gan to cry.
"Don't," said her mother soothingly;
but there was hard ring in her voice
that told that she was thinking of the
woman they both hated Eve must dc
something to get rid of her. Let me
think it over. my dear"
All that night Mrs. st. Johns thought,
but failed to find any plan which prom.
Used success. If they could be rid Of
Alma Marvin. That one thought kept
ringing through her brain. If they only
could! They must wait and bide their
time. Mrs. st. Johns was perfectly un.
scrupulous at all times, and she had O
double object to work for now; one
was Homer Graves, and the other was
to crafty her hatred of Alma Marvin.
| So the days went by slowly, and the
chance Mrs. st. Johns was waiting TO,
had not come. She had man.
aged, by a woman's skillful maneu
vering, to keep Alma and Home,
Graves apart as much as possible,
and throw Lucia into her society; she
had thrown ont hints before Miss Mar.
win of the intimacy that had existed be,
tween Lucia and Homer the previous
season, and had managed to make
Alma believe that such intimacy had
really existed; and by tact which is
by no means uncommon among women,
and is to be found especially among
those whose wits are sharpened by such
a scheming, planning life as that which
she had led, she succeeded in twisting
one or two more trifing and unimpor.
tant facts into the semblance of a con.
siderable truth, and made Mr.. Graves
believe that Miss Marvin had lover tc
whom she was engaged. and quite de-
voted.
How she succeeded in doing this
cannot tell, nor could Mr.. Graves have
done SO; but she did it, and he supposed
she was telling him the truth, when il
reality she was telling next to nothing
but limiting at the story she wanted
him to believe in such way that i
amounted to as much as If she hal